This invention relates generally to collapsible tube containers and more particularly to an improved winder for such containers for progressively collapsing the tube to dispense the material contained therein, and which includes means adapted to cooperate with the container to preclude unwinding thereof.
Collapsible tube containers have been in use for many years and traditionally have comprised thin-walled metal structures which when collapsed and/or wound on a dispensing mandrel have no significant tendency to unwind to reassume their original tube-like form. However, with the advent of new low-cost plastics having properties more desirable than metal for such containers, there has been a growing trend for more and more of such containers to be made out of plastic rather than metal. Although this is desirable in many respects, a flexible wall tube container formed out of plastic suffers the disadvantage that it tends to reassume its original shape after being collapsed, or to unwind in a manner analogous to a coil spring. when this occurs, reverse flow towards the closed end of the partially empty tube can occur, which makes it necessary to again squeeze the full length of the tube during a subsequent dispensing operation, as well as a re-gripping of the tube if it is a manual operation. This, of course, makes for very uneven dispensing. Known winders having anti-unwinding capabilities, on the other hand, tend to be relatively complex and difficult to use.
A primary object of the present invention, therefore, resides in the provision of an extremely simple, inexpensive winder for a collapsible wall tube, which overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages of many known devices, and which is very easy to use.
Additional advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent description and the appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.